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Katherine Bradley
November 7, 2006
Save the Martin W. Essex School for the Gifted
In summer 2005, I spent a week at Ohio State University with 67 other gifted high
school seniors from across Ohio. Not suspecting how amazing this experience would be,
I arrived in Columbus nervous, apprehensive, and unsure of what to expect. However, I
left at the end of the week with tears and a notebook full of email addresses of my new
friends. What changed in that brief amount of time? Simply put, Essex happened to me;
those who have experienced that same week will know exactly what I mean. But for
those who have not had the opportunity to attend “nerd camp,” allow me to explain the
intensity, fun, and educational value of my experience, and why every Essex alumnus I
know is heartbroken at the thought of the program ending.
Essex was set up to resemble the typical college experience. We stayed in a dorm
on OSU’s campus, ate residence hall food, and had Resident Assistants to guide us
through the week. That was where the similarities to college ended, however, for no real
college consists entirely of dazzlingly intelligent high school seniors. For the first time in
my life, I was surrounded by my intellectual equals and superiors, people who made my
31 ACT score look pathetically low. For many this would sound daunting, but to me it
was exhilarating. For once, I was free to speak my mind without fear, for I was among
like-minded people with similar experiences, if not similar backgrounds.
Coming from a homogeneous community and school, I was shocked at how
diverse those backgrounds were. The Essexers I met defied every stereotype I had about
race, religion, and gender. Before Essex, all my friends were just like me – white,
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Christian, and mostly women. During Essex, I met and deeply connected with African
American, Indian, and Asian students. I learned about and came to respect their different
religious beliefs. I even did a trust fall with my predominantly male break-out group,
trusting them to catch me as I fell from a short platform.
No subject was off-limits with my Essex friends. During our daily classes, or
sessions, we discussed religion, sexuality, race, economics, and many, many other topics.
Best of all, the dialogue rarely ended when the session did, as was the case with my high
school classes. Every Essexer was eager to learn about and opine on everything. None
of us slept much; we were all too busy arguing politics over a friendly card game until 2
AM. The sessions ensured that we never ran out of topics for discussion; each was
intended to spark our curiosity about something, from dance to forensic science and
veterinary medicine. The atmosphere was invigorating and impossible to replicate, for I
was obviously among the leaders and thinkers of my generation.
Even with all the serious debate and learning, there was always time for fun. I
learned how to play about five card games over the course of the week, including Spoons,
which we played with metal spoons stolen from the cafeteria. One night, we had an
enormous pillow fight that lasted for half an hour. Some of the activities, such as a trip to
a local camp and our end of the week talent show, were fun while promoting teamwork
and communication. Finally, despite the poor quality of the food, the cafeteria was
always filled with the smiles and laughter of Essexers enjoying each other’s company.
After Essex was over, I stayed in touch with many of the individuals I met during
the week. Through instant messaging and Facebook, we helped each other through
senior year, sharing our feelings on the college application and admission process. I even
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consulted one Essex friend for help on my calculus homework several times. When I
finally made the decision to stay in Ohio and attend the University of Akron, I had at
least one guaranteed friend – one 2005 alumnus also attends my school. Thanks to
Essex, I now know students at some of our country’s most prestigious schools, including
Harvard and MIT. One alumnus has even published a book since leaving the school, and
Essexers were some of the first to read it.
Despite the obvious benefits for students who attend Essex and an increase in
revenue for gifted education overall, the Ohio Board of Education has decided to redirect
funding for Essex to increase the number of Summer Honors Institutes. As the budget
currently stands, Essex will not happen in summer 2007. This decision baffles and
saddens me, because I do not believe any other program can match Essex in emotional
and spiritual impact on students.
Living with my intellectual peers for a week was what made Essex so special, but
most of the summer institutes are only partially residential, which limits the amount of
fellowship between the gifted students. Furthermore, I was surprised to learn at Essex
how differently students from Cincinnati and Columbus public schools viewed education
and other localized issues. Because summer institutes are limited to students who live in
a relatively small area surrounding a college, there is significantly less social and cultural
diversity amongst the students. Finally, the summer institutes offer programs targeted to
a specific area of study, such as dance, theater, or creative writing. Students at Essex
touched on all of these topics and more, but students at an honors institute must choose
only one area to study for the duration of the program. Not only is this a difficult
decision for a high school sophomore or junior, but the students at the institute are limited
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to those who happen to be interested in one of those particular topics. Essex was about
social issues as much as career exploration, and the type of free-for-all discussion found
at Essex would be hard to achieve in a career-oriented summer institute.
Because it is so selective, I do not believe Essex is the only option Ohio should
consider in gifted summer programs. Unfortunately, I have known several students from
my high school who would have excelled at Essex, but they were rejected because Essex
only accepts 70 students each year. In contrast, between 1,500 and 2,000 students
participated in a Summer Honors Institute in 2005. However, for those of us who did get
in, Essex was invaluable and completely unique. For this reason, I believe Ohio should
continue to fund and support both existing summer programs for gifted students.
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Websites of Note
“Budget and Policy Recommendations of the State Board of Education, 2008-2009
Biennium.” Ohio Department of Education, September 2006. November 7, 2006.
<http://www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/DocumentManagement/DocumentDownload.asp
x?DocumentID=17027>.
“2006 Ohio Summer Honors Institutes for Gifted Students.” Ohio Association for Gifted
Students. November 7, 2006. <http://www.oagc.com/Documents/GiftedPolicies
andPlan/06_SHI_Flyer.pdf>.